Exercise should be part of everyone's morning routine.  Unfortunately, most people think that means a trip to the gym or the workout location of choice.  Most good doctors will tell you to start some sort of exercise program.

Here is the "poor man's" exercise routine that ANYONE anywhere can do that doesn't cost anything.  The key is to exercise in a manner appropriate for YOU.  Let the body tell you what it needs.  Go slow to begin and increase the quantity as you can.  Or as the body indicates you can.  

FULL DISCLOSURE

If you want to see your medical person before you begin, then by all means, do so.  I am NOT a medical person and will not nor cannot give medical advice.  I can only tell you what I do and have witnessed and experienced and learned from others as well.

Therefore, I do caution YOU not to do more than what YOU are able.  Start in a small way and work your way up.  One to two days a week to begin before increasing to two to three days a week.  Begin where YOU are comfortable.  Not more than that.  Build up slowly.  Think a month or two months from now.  Or, even better, three months from now.

When I first started these exercises, I couldn't do more than 4 1/2 minutes.  I was done.  Wiped out.  Finished.  But, within 2 to 3 months of stick-to-it-tiveness two or three times a week, I was up to 30 minutes.  Shortly thereafter, I was up to 45 minutes.  

My point is start where YOU are comfortable and build from there.  If you build your exercise program to 30 to 45 minutes two or three or four times a week, watch where you'll be in 6 months.  You'll feel better, think better, act better, loose some of those extra pounds, be better "toned", less sick and therefore more healthy.  Have tons more energy and be sharper in the mind as well.

What are these miracle exercises?  Simple standing calisthenics.  Simple no frills, no extra weights nor anything else needed but yourself.  A FREE system.  

AGS Life Academy is geared for the Basket Case and many Basket Cases are down and out, broke and can't afford anything living paycheck to paycheck with nothing, and I do mean nothing, extra.  I do understand this plight.  Really.

Do only a simple and relatively easy 25 repetitions each for all of your joints beginning with the upper body.  I don't think I finished the full 25 repetitions the first week or two I was in such bad shape.  Then, build to multiply the repetitions by 25 as you can.

TIP:

If you have a reason to exercise, you may want to find a picture or put that reason up in YOUR exercise area as an incentive for yourself.  

For example, the goal might be to loose weight.  Put a picture of yourself as you are, big, grossly oversized fat up so you can see what you want to get away from.  Or, put an earlier slender picture of yourself up.  With the goal "I am loosing x number of pounds to get to size y before such and such a date."  Or, ... "to be fit, trim, athletic so I can run the marathon or swim the Atlantic next year."  

Set YOUR goal right in front of you so YOU can see it and work for it until YOU achieve it.

IDEAL REGIME

- 25 repetitions of each and attempt to build multiples of these over time.  These are my names as I have not found these in a quick internet search.  The "poor man's exercise".  The only thing it costs is YOUR effort.  No out of pocket money.

- Drink A Glass Of Water - start this exercise program with a glass of cool crystal clear water.  This will open the passages while lubricating "things".  Water also acts as a cleansing agent like it does when you do your laundry.  If you just put your clothes into a washing machine without any water and start the agitation process, what will happen?  Nothing other than your clothes being agitated.  Well, the water aids the exercise program in similar ways as you "agitate" the body and all the joints.

- Arms in a Windmill - start with your arms out straight in front of you.  Keeping your arms straight, flip your arms side-ways and as far back as you can and then bring back to the starting position in front with the right arm over the left.  Do this for 25 repetitions.  This is first part of this first exercise.

Then, do the same thing yet this time with the left arm crossing over the right arm.  25 repetitions.  This is the second part of this first exercise.

Build up both parts to multiples of 25 repetitions to as many as YOU are comfortable with.  Don't overdue any of these exercises.

- Arms Overhead - With arms outstretched to the sides and down beside your body, bring them overhead keeping them outstretched.  Bring them back down to the side of your body keeping them outstretched.  25 repetitions.  

Build up to multiples of 25 repetitions to as many as YOU are comfortable with.

- Arms Folded - With your arms down to your sides, bend them at the elbow raising just the forearm with the hand clasped in to a fist and facing up.  Then, back down.  Keep the arms in front of you as if you had an imaginary board in front of your chest and under the back of your arms.  Then repeat 25 times.  That is the first part of this exercise.

Part two is do the same thing, but have the hand clasped in to a fist and facing down.  Do that 25 times to complete the first cycle of 25 repetitions.

Build up both parts to multiples of 25 repetitions to as many as YOU are comfortable with.

- Open / Close Fingers - Just open and close the fingers on each hand at the same time 25 times.

Build up to multiples of 25 repetitions to as many as YOU are comfortable with.

- Touch Toes - Stand straight up.  Bend from the waist with the knees straight and arms hanging down.  Stand in this position for a few moments allowing the muscles to stretch.  And they will.  Bounce a little or a few times after just plain stretching a few moments.  Stand straight up again.

When you are ready, start from the standing position and bend from the waist attempting to touch your toes with your outstretched arms and then back standing upright.  Do that 25 times.  Don't do too many of these to begin with or your back will let you know you did too many.

If that happens or at any time any muscle lets you know you did too much, back off a day or two or three before getting back to the exercises.  But, don't stop exercising.  The body really is a marvelous machine.  It repairs itself, ... IF ... you allow it to.  Give it time and it will heal.  

Strongly suggest, don't feed it any pain killers, or other poisonous drugs or medication.  That junk really is poisonous, but that is a topic for a different day.  Let the body do its own thing.  It knows what to do.  Seriously.

This really is a marvelous exercise for the back, stomach, waist, lungs and a number of other organs.

When done, just stand in the upright position for a few moments to allow the body to re-adjust itself and it will.  Again, let the body talk to you.  It does speak loud and clear ... IF ... you listen to it.

Build up slowly till you can do multiple 25 repetitions.

- Side To Side - Stand straight up with your hands on your sides next to your waist where you can bend.  Begin by dipping to the left while keeping your hands in place and then to the right and then back to the left for one full cycle.  Do 25 repetitions but again, do not do too many of these or your back will let you know you did too many.  Build up slowly till you can do multiple 25 repetitions.  

This also is a marvelous exercise for the back, stomach, waist, lungs and a number of other organs.

When done, just stand in the upright position for a few moments to allow the body to re-adjust itself and it will.  Again, let the body talk to you.  It does speak loud and clear ... IF ... you listen to it.

- Twist Side To Side - Stand upright with your hands outstretched to the sides.  Turn from the waist so that your left hand is as far in front of you and to the right of you keeping it outstretched as you can.  Reverse this so that your right hand still outstretched goes in front of you and to the left as you can.  That is one cycle.  Do 25 repetitions of that.   Build up slowly till you can do multiple 25 repetitions.

Talk about the benefits for the back, stomach, waist, lungs and other organs.  WOW!.

- Breathe Deeply - Take deep breaths and let them out slowly.  Bring the breath up deep from inside you and again, let it out slowly AND completely.  Do 25 repetitions.  Build up slowly till you can do multiple 25 repetitions.  This really is an outstanding exercise bringing into the body cleansing air and oxygen the body needs so desperately.  

Actually, do this exercise several times a day and watch your energy level increase substantially.

- Toe Rises - Standing straight up raise your feet while remaining on your toes.  Lower your feet for one cycle.  Do 25 repetitions and build up slowly till you can do multiple of 25 repetitions.

(If you have a 2 X 4 block of wood or something else you might use that as well for this exercise.  Put the 2 X 4 on the floor.  A stair riser might work just as well.  Put just your toes on the 2 X 4 with the rest of your foot hanging in thin air.  Raise your foot while keeping just the toes on firm ground.  Then, lower the foot.  With a 2 X 4 or a stair riser, the foot can get the full motion which is even better.)

- Knee Bends - Stand upright with your hands on your sides.  Bend your knees lowering yourself while keeping your back straight.  Then raise your legs back to the original upright position for one cycle.  Do 25 repetitions and build up slowly till you can do multiple of 25 repetitions.

- Drink Another Glass Of Water - Close out the exercise program by drinking another cool glass of water.  This time, the water acts like a rinse flushing out the impurities in your system that you agitated in the exercise program.  

My Suggestions

These are my suggested exercises that can be done by anyone anywhere at any time, preferably in private.  You are doing them for yourself and not for the public.  Stop at any point you feel it necessary until you have built up some stamina.  Then, you can begin to push yourself A LITTLE.  Do it at YOUR pace.  It will come AND stay with it.

Remember, it takes 30 days to form a new habit, so keep doing something for 30 days.  Each day done, builds confidence, stamina, stick-to-itiveness while overcoming all those negative thoughts that keep coming into the head.  Think WHY you want to do these exercises before, during and after each day.  The stamina, good health, energy level, thinking processes all will increase as you continue over time.  A real short time period actually.

One Example

One 50+ year old relatively overweight lady began a walking program where she, as she told me, struggled just to walk a few paces and 4 months later, she has dropped 79 pounds so far and now runs 2 1/2 miles  on an incline ... easily.  She uses a treadmill as her vehicle to exercise.  She looks great.

This lady was the motivation for me to start my exercise program.  If she could do what she did, as she told me, I surely should be able to do something myself.  I'm glad I started even though I was humiliated very quickly with only 4 1/2 minutes of standing calisthenics.

A quick update to this, This lady has lost another 35 pounds and really looks great and is in better shape than one could imagine.  In the process, the health issues that she had been plagued with for decades disappeared quickly with her regime.

Encouragement

Amazing what can be done if all we do is start exercising somehow.  That was my challenge - finding the time to begin an exercise program.  Even the thought of 4 1/2 minutes, I didn't have the time.  Fortunately, I made the time.  I told myself I needed to do something and I couldn't afford much.  Hence, the "poor man's exercises".  The stamina has come AND the health has also improved.  The energy level I'm shocked about.  For a 65 year old, I will run circles around most teenagers today.

Walking is another great exercise you might try as well.  If you can walk 20 to 30 minutes a day, great.  Even if in increments of 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 to 20 minutes in the afternoon.  Continue.  Even more if possible, especially outside in fresh clean cleansing air breathing deep breaths and walk gingerly.  Add that to your calisthenics.

Simple and easy standing calisthenics helps keep each of the joints flexible even re-aligning the body in certain ways.  (A free chiropractor replacement of sorts, maybe????)  Or, at least that's what I've found when I first started doing this simple, quick and easy 4 1/2 minute morning wake up exercise. 

After 2 to 3 months two or three times a week, I got up to about 30 to 35 minutes of calisthenics each morning in my very private personal bedroom.  The stamina has increased where I can actually run short distances but those distances have already gone from nothing to about five minutes.  The body FEELS better, tighter and much more agile.  It has taken on shape and form of Mr. Hunk Macho.  It is the stamina that surprises me.

No Excuses of No Time

Don't use the excuse you don't have at least 4 1/2 minutes or whatever time it takes you as that is all it is - an unmerited excuse.  If you want good health, it is there for you. You will FIND your 4 1/2 minutes.  If not, it just means you don't want good health.

(With all due respect, this has been proven over and over again by countless other individuals.  Sorry for the bluntness.  Besides, if you don't have the time, check this out.)

Someone sent the following in and it is included for your thoughts as well.

You mentioned calisthenics for exercise.  Many of us have injuries that don't allow that type of exercise, even if we wanted to.  And vigorous exercise is not the only way to great health benefits.  I would definitely encourage other types of exercise, including yoga and walking, which is still considered one of the best forms of exercise, and you can get the same health benefits as others get from aerobics, jogging or other vigorous exercise.  Start out slowly, increase to a brisk walk over time.

The Health Benefits of Walking

Walking is good for your heart.  A recent Harvard study shows that walking at a moderate pace (3 mph) for up to 3 hours a week—or 30 minutes a day--can cut the risk of heart disease in women by as much as 40%.  This is the same benefit you would get from aerobics, jogging, or other vigorous exercise.  The benefits to men are comparable.

Along with its benefits to the heart, walking:

* improves circulation
* helps breathing
* combats depression
* bolsters the immune system
* helps prevent osteoporosis
* helps prevent and control diabetes
* helps control weight 

Studies have also shown that people are most likely to stick to exercise when it is part of their daily lives.  Walking is ideal.  Once you start looking for opportunities to walk, you will be amazed at how many there are.

Let me add, swimming is still one of the best all-around exercises possible.  Not always possible, but nevertheless, great when you can.

Bottom Line

Exercising should be part of YOUR morning routine.  Above are presented just a sample of regimes you may want to consider.  The simple walking, the standing calisthenics, swimming or the more elaborate gym or other work out you can do.  Whatever.  You no longer have an excuse.